Dr. Karan Rajan On The Truth About Gut Health, & The Rise of Colorectal Cancer

11:28Dr. Karan Rajan:interesting you've probably heard that the most guidelines recommend oh get your 30 grams of fiber a day yes that is based on old outdated advice like that is bottom of the barrel stuff if you look at the research which looks at fiber there are these graphs like dose response curves okay if you eat 10 grams you get this benefit 20 this benefit and it usually like in the research it caps off at around 30 but if you look at those graphs closely there is ongoing yield and benefit of fiber to your health beyond 30 grams. And this is where it gets even more interesting. If we look at some of the healthiest populations in the world, and one of the healthiest populations in the world that have the lowest rates of diabetes, of high cholesterol, cardiovascular disease, dementia, are these tribes which live in Africa, in Tanzania, the Hadza tribe.

12:18Dr. Karan Rajan:They eat seasonally, so they eat different types of fiber, depending on the season, wet season, dry season, and they eat 120 grams of fiber a day. and they are some of the healthiest people in the world.

12:29Jaclyn Hill:But what are they eating that, yes, I need to understand. It's really like, I feel like what is that? Is it a dragon fruit? Is it a pomegranate? What is that?

12:38Dr. Karan Rajan:All of those, I mean, they don't get those kinds of foods in that region. They're eating like the sort of roots and tubers like cassava, beans, wheat, corn, things like that. And the reason those kinds of fibers are really important and it's come out of a lot of our modern diets is because they ferment really slowly. If you think of your colon, right? You have your colon, which goes up here. That's the first part of the colon. And then the second part goes across the transverse colon. Third part goes down, the descending colon. The foods we eat, which are fiber rich in the modern diet, right? Like apples.

13:13Dr. Karan Rajan:That's a fast fermenting type of fiber. And that ferments here, but it doesn't make it all the way here. The bacteria which live here are the most beneficial bacteria and the greatest number of bacteria live here. So we need more of the slow fermenting fibers, beans, corn, wheat, cassava, roots and tubers, potatoes. We're missing a lot of that in the average diet.

13:37Jaclyn Hill:What's cassava?

13:38Dr. Karan Rajan:It's like plantain.

13:39Katelyn MacMullen:Don't they use it in a lot of chips and stuff? Yeah, exactly. Like cassava flour, right?

13:42Dr. Karan Rajan:Exactly, yeah. It's like a root vegetable, kind of like a potato, but even more like starchy and like, you know, like maybe a bit bitter and hard to eat. Don't they use it in like tortilla alternatives? Yeah, you can. It's correct. Yeah, like a gluten-free type thing.

14:00Jaclyn Hill:How much can you supplement of that amount?

14:03Dr. Karan Rajan:Of fiber?

14:04Jaclyn Hill:Yes.

14:05Dr. Karan Rajan:So, you know, you can supplement kind of as much as you want. I mean, it's always like food first, right? And you build your foundation on food and then you supplement with other things. Like I eat through my diet alone. I'll eat around 40 to 50 grams of fiber a day. And I've built that up over years because of my health condition. and I still supplement in the morning because it gives me like a baseline. So I add it to my morning. I add a fiber supplement to my morning coffee. I know I've got 10 grams of fiber. So if I'm busy, can't be bothered to meal prep. I'm traveling or I'm going out with friends and I'm having a steak or something.

14:40Dr. Karan Rajan:I've got my 10 grams and I don't have to hit that 30 gram with too much discomfort.

14:45Katelyn MacMullen:In your product, how many grams per serving? 10 grams.

14:48Dr. Karan Rajan:So it's like a third of your baseline recommendation. And we know based on research, having 10 grams of fiber extra per day reduces your risk of colorectal cancer by 10 percent

14:59Katelyn MacMullen:that is research so when you say you get around 40 grams a day what is your if you don't mind me what does your diet look like where you're able to get those numbers easy wins for fiber because

15:08Dr. Karan Rajan:i'm like i'm pretty busy like i've got a kid on the way you've got 11 million followers yeah and i've got a startup and i've got this i'm super busy and so i start the day with just a cup of oats, right? A cup of oats, which is like overnight oats is five grams of fiber. And then I put in two tablespoons of chia seeds into the overnight oats, two tablespoons of chia seeds is 10 grams of fiber.

15:32Katelyn MacMullen:You have 15 right there.

15:33Dr. Karan Rajan:That's 15 grams. And if I really want to go a bit more like fiber max that I can add in a cup of raspberries or blueberries just to top that up. That is five grams of fiber. So I could get 15 to 20 grams just in that breakfast alone. And then I usually have like a cup of morning coffee like mid-morning and i put in like a fiber supplement in that 10 grams you can use this one yeah because it just dissolves with no taste at all so i didn't even know it's

15:56Katelyn MacMullen:there it just tastes like coffee the hot coffee won't hurt the integrity yeah one of the reasons

16:01Dr. Karan Rajan:i formulated it this way was that it would be heat stable so you can actually bake fiber cookies or cakes oh that's cool i add this to my pasta when i'm making it as well so just an extra bit of fiber if i want i'm gonna put it in the kids waffles yeah that you know what my friend uses loam for her kids. And, you know, kids are so fussy with fruits and vegetables. You can't get them to eat fruits and vegetables. She just put it in their water. It dissolved clear. They didn't even know it was there.

16:26Katelyn MacMullen:Quick break to talk about one of our favorite partners, and that is Beekeepers Naturals. Flu season is upon us. It feels like everybody is sick. I know in our offices, people are in, they're out. It's all over the place. It's a mess. Kids are going back to school and the sicknesses that are going around these days are nasty. This is why Lauren and I swear by Beekeepers Naturals products. We love their throat spray, their propolis. We've had Carly, the founder of Beekeepers Naturals on this podcast twice, talking all about the incredible benefits of using bee products and specifically their propolis.

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19:30Katelyn MacMullen:Quick break to talk about Armour Colossum. What if I were to tell you that there was one single supplement that you could use to help strengthen your immune health, fortify your gut health, ignite a healthy metabolism, hair health, skin health, and fuel performance and recovery where there is, and it is called Armour Colostrum. Ever since we had the founder of Armour Colostrum on this podcast and learned about the incredible benefits of the Colostrum, we have not looked back. We take it ourselves. We give it to our children. We even give it to our pets. You can also even just take it right out of the pack or out of the jug like we do.

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22:25Jaclyn Hill:The RealReal is the most trusted name in authenticated luxury resale. With over 10 ,000 new arrivals daily, no one does resale like The RealReal. And now get$25 off your first purchase when you go to therealreal.com slash skinny. That's therealreal.com slash skinny to get$25 off. Start shopping now at therealreal.com slash skinny. I have three tricks. The first trick is I make mommy waffles and in it I put zen basil seeds, which have like 15 grams of protein. I'm going to add your product so I get 25. Wow. And you do some banana, some oats, and some eggs. And that's that. Then I do the syrup. And in the syrup, I put omega-3 DHA that tastes like lemon.

23:13Jaclyn Hill:So they think mommy put lemon in the syrup.

23:14Dr. Karan Rajan:Is this your first kid or do you have - First kid, D. Okay, so you're going to need to know these things.

23:18Jaclyn Hill:The last trick what I'm going to do with your product is I do mango water and I do aminos. So mango aminos. But then I'm just going to add the fiber to it. so they get, there's so many little rebrand tricks you can do with kids where you're like, look at its lemon syrup.

23:32Katelyn MacMullen:Well, the thing is, is like they want to eat the things that kids want to eat. And so you got to start adding the things to make them a little bit better.

23:39Jaclyn Hill:What are you doing with the French toast that you make? Are you doing anything strategic?

23:42Katelyn MacMullen:It's not good for you at all, the French toast, but that's a once in a while thing. Okay. So it's, I think sometimes, and the reason I ask specifically about what you're eating is in the same thing with the protein conversation, people get overwhelmed with how they get all of grams. But when you say it like that, just in that simple meal, you could get 20, 25.

23:58Dr. Karan Rajan:You know, like most people think that fiber is fruits and vegetables, but it's different categories, right? So you can even have like bad food or snacks and still get your fiber. So like 50 grams of 70 % dark chocolate, which is like three or four squares, is four grams of fiber. One tablespoon of cacao powder, you put it in your hot chocolate or whatever, is two to three grams of fiber. Like a portion of popcorn can be four grams of fiber. So if you have some chocolate, dark chocolate and popcorn, you can smash eight or nine grams of fiber and not even worry that, oh, it's super healthy or like not, you know, exciting.

24:37Katelyn MacMullen:So as you increase fiber, I'm going to move it to the bathroom discussion now. What is a healthy amount of times to defecate?

24:48Jaclyn Hill:Well, no, come on, Michael. You can't ask it like that. Just ask it like poo. Come on, Michael. I can defecate. I'm trying to be medical. I'm trying to be medical. Let me take my non-medical hat off.

25:02Katelyn MacMullen:How many times a day should you be taking a shit? And what should the consistency be?

25:07Dr. Karan Rajan:Okay. So there's two things, right? There's like quantity, but also quality. Like we need to be quantitative and qualitative. How much to do? Yeah. Like, okay. I'm the worst person to ask about poop. because I get so deep in the weeds about it. Let's get in the weeds. Right. That's what you're here for. That's my entire life. You're the guy. Yeah, that's my entire life has been professionally and personally as well. The usual guidelines suggest like three times a day to three times a week is considered like the Goldilocks range of normal, right? If you're above that or below that, you're usually slightly out of normal.

25:41Dr. Karan Rajan:That's one component of it, right? The three and three. But also the quality. Like you could be, and this is mind blowing to a lot of people, you could be going to the toilet every single day and still be constipated because then it's the quality have you guys ever heard of the bristol stool scale no i don't so it's like a it's like a visual chart and like maybe you can put it up on like some of the videos or whatever it goes from type one through to type seven type one is like little maltesers or rabbit pellets

26:13Katelyn MacMullen:Oh, it's the visualizations of the excrement. Yeah.

26:20Jaclyn Hill:Are you going to pull the Thoris out? It's like, okay, go ahead.

26:23Katelyn MacMullen:Lauren, I'm very, I'm well-read. I'm a well-rounded person.

26:27Dr. Karan Rajan:So you've got like those like rabbit pellets, Maltesers as type one. And then type seven is like a chocolate milkshake. It's just runny, right? And then type three, type four. And I don't want to put off chocolate for you guys, but like type three, type four is like a Snickers Mars bar, you know, like a sausage shape. that is like the perfect poop. And then that goes from constipated to diarrhea and in the middle, that's like the perfect. But also, are you having any bloating? Are you straining? Are you experiencing any mucus discharge? Those are all qualitative things. So yeah, you could be pooping every day, but is it uncomfortable to poop every day, which suggests you could be constipated or just not normal.

27:03Dr. Karan Rajan:So those two things combined, you know, form, you know, like, how well you're doing.

27:08Katelyn MacMullen:I guess on the sides of the scale, if you're constipated, what is the likely culprit if you're having diarrhea all the time what is the likely culprit and how do you kind of move to the middle if that's where you want to be yeah so many factors

27:19Dr. Karan Rajan:like constipation is decided by so many different things and i think about it like you know an inverted pyramid with like the big base at the top would be the most common culprit for most people is likely fiber then it's like maybe motility issues or like hydration issues where you're not drinking enough water because good stool needs more water to make it like i think it's probably wrong word but like big and juicy you know you need like juicy poop so they just slide out um very scientific yeah and then the third thing would be like any activity like if you're constantly sitting at your desk or not moving you're not getting the contractions of the intestine so it's going to be sluggish bowel and then the fourth thing which virtually no one realizes your sleep and bowels are connected.

28:10Dr. Karan Rajan:You've got a clock in your brain, the biological clock. It's called the suprachiasmatic nucleus. And that determines how tired you feel, how energized you feel throughout the day. You know, your energy levels fluctuate. You've got tiny little clocks in every cell in your body, including your gut. Like you've got time clocks in your rectum, which all depend on the master clock in the brain, which coordinate the release of various hormones. So, you know, like you suddenly fly out to London for your friend's wedding. You're in a different time zone. You're six hours ahead. You feel jet lagged. It's not just you that feel jet lagged.

28:44Dr. Karan Rajan:Your gut gets jet lagged. You get intestinal jet lag because of that time change. So you can get travel constipation or diarrhea because suddenly it doesn't know what time zone it's in. It doesn't know when to release the hormones to poop and all those things.

28:58Jaclyn Hill:Wow, Michael, does that everything you want to know about a big, juicy poo? No, let's keep going.

29:04Katelyn MacMullen:I ask because I think, you know, if gut health is the cornerstone of good health, I think this is an important topic for people to think about. Right. And if you don't, I think you could obviously like you end up at the end of that line you were talking about earlier.

29:17Jaclyn Hill:A lot of people on GLP-1s are constipated. Is that okay? I mean, what do people need to do about that?

29:24Dr. Karan Rajan:The GLP-1, like it works in the brain. It works in the gut hormones as well. And your appetite. So there's a couple of things. The GLP-1 drugs naturally slow down the gut. So you get slowed emptying from the stomach and you get slowing of the contractions as well. That can cause constipation. The second reason is when you're on a GLP-1, your appetite decreases. And that's one of the benefits that people want. When your appetite decreases, the number one thing which gets cut out first is fiber. So you've got the slowing down of the gut, plus you're less hungry and you cut out fiber, you've got a heady storm where you're brewing some serious constipation.

30:03Jaclyn Hill:So when someone is on a GLP-1, you suggest they up their fiber?

30:08Dr. Karan Rajan:100%. Like protein and fiber are things which, if you're on a GLP-1, fiber, protein, and resistance you need to be doing for your gut health, because the GLP-1s can also cause a shift in the gut microbiome, right? And that can actually worsen inflammation in the gut. So you need fiber. And the problem is, right, I've seen people on GLP-1s, sometimes you just don't feel hungry and you don't want to have a meal with fiber or protein. So in those situations, you're looking for like low calorie hacks. So whether that's like a fiber supplement to just top up your levels or getting low calorie fruits.

30:43Dr. Karan Rajan:Like the best low calorie fruits would be berries. You get a high amount of fiber, low calories, and it's not too filling. So you can still hit it. Like you need those hacks as a GLP-1 user.

30:52Katelyn MacMullen:What has your audience been most shocked by when it comes to symptoms that are related to poor gut health?

30:57Dr. Karan Rajan:I think the most shocking, which a lot of people don't realize, especially women, would be a lot of hormonal driven symptoms. Heavy periods, bloating around the periods, menopause symptoms, disease specific conditions in endometriosis, you know, they can all be driven by low fiber states and gut dysbiosis, where there's like abnormalities in the gut microbiome.

31:18Katelyn MacMullen:Have you, and I brought this up a little bit, and I don't have the science on it, but it seems that many women complain about gut issues. Maybe they're just complaining more than men. Maybe men don't talk about it as openly. Do you see a correlation to women versus men having more or less gut issues?

31:34Dr. Karan Rajan:Yeah, interestingly, in the research, and you know, there's not a ton of research done on this, but actually women have more gut diversity in their bacteria than men, which is normally associated with better gut health. The other problem is women are unfortunately predisposed to a higher risk of gut issues. One of the reasons for that would be because they go through way more hormonal changes on a monthly basis, but also on their lifetime basis. Monthly periods, the fluctuating estrogen and progesterone causes crazy gut issues because you've got estrogen receptors in the colon so crazy fluctuations there women may get pregnant at some point in their life so they've got like a tiny human literally squishing their intestines and causing problems then you've got menopause where you get a you know slam dunk of estrogen and that drops off a cliff and you get gut problems what do you guys do i mean geez and

32:28Katelyn MacMullen:oh i'll tell you what we do but it's not going to go over well i'll tell you what we do

32:31Jaclyn Hill:nothing we have to be around a lot of it it's a joke it's a joke it's a joke and also women have

32:40Dr. Karan Rajan:longer colons than men as well oh that's interesting yeah well and again i i i was

32:46Katelyn MacMullen:curious because and again maybe women are just more vocal about it maybe you guys men are just too dumb to understand what's going on in our systems but doing this show for as long as like there's been many conversations around gut health with women you don't hear as much as often from the men. Maybe they're just not explaining or they don't know what's going on.

33:04Dr. Karan Rajan:I didn't know this until a couple of years ago, and this is fascinating. So estrogen is processed and planned to be released from the liver, right? So in the liver, it gets tagged and then the estrogen gets tagged in the liver and then gets sent into the intestines and to the colon. You've got special types of bacteria in the colon, which can untag that estrogen and allow it to be absorbed into the colon and then back into the bloodstream. So you can get higher amounts of estrogen depending on if there's an increase in that type of bacteria that can do that. And more estrogen is not good because it can mean more symptoms related to estrogen and worsening of heavy periods, pain, all that kind of stuff.

33:45Jaclyn Hill:Does high estrogen is that contribute to breast cancer?

33:49Dr. Karan Rajan:It can be in specific cases like breast cancer is obviously multifactorial. Genetics is like the huge component, but also exposure to estrogen over a lifetime, like, you know, having later menopause, earlier puberty in women, all those things are risk factors for breast cancer. So, yeah.

34:06Jaclyn Hill:When you take fiber, doesn't the fiber hook to the estrogen and help usher it out of your body? Is that true?

34:13Dr. Karan Rajan:Yeah. So there's two things fiber does. Fiber shifts the microbiome. So you can allow more estrogen to be absorbed, which is good. And also it kind of like, yeah, it kind of packages up that estrogen, same as it does with cholesterol, and allows it to be excreted and not absorbed. But it's got to be soluble fiber, which is fermentable and can have a manipulation effect on the microbiome, not insoluble fiber.

34:40Jaclyn Hill:What is this soluble?

34:41Dr. Karan Rajan:This is pure soluble fiber.

34:42Jaclyn Hill:So we love that.

34:43Dr. Karan Rajan:You know what people when they're choosing a fiber supplement, they don't know what to look for is the problem and psyllium husk has no prebiotic value it doesn't manipulate

34:53Jaclyn Hill:the microbiome at all that's really interesting that you say that because every time i've tried to take that it's too overwhelming to me that's why yours to be able to just mix it i put it in my aminos it's like so easy i don't need to even froth it which is so great so back to your question

35:08Katelyn MacMullen:so what do you see online that you kind of just call bs on or you don't take seriously or you

35:12Jaclyn Hill:Some viral health trends.

35:15Dr. Karan Rajan:Coffee enemas. Coffee only belongs in one orifice. I'm really glad you said this

35:21Katelyn MacMullen:because people always bring these up to me and I go, that looks like a lot of work.

35:24Jaclyn Hill:I'm really open to things, but the coffee up my ass, I'm so open to things. The coffee up my ass to me feels like I would do it wrong.

35:32Katelyn MacMullen:We have a pretty comfortable marriage. We've seen each other in a lot of situations. I feel like if she came in and I was laying on my back in the bathtub with a tube up my ass shooting coffee out, I don't know if I'd get through.

35:40Jaclyn Hill:But to each its own. So go ahead. That's bullshit.

35:44Dr. Karan Rajan:Yeah, it's bullshit and can be harmful because like coffee is acidic and, you know, your back end is sensitive. The membranes are delicate and the acidic coffee can actually worsen some irritation in that lining. Colonic enemas for the average person, like having, you know, a hose pipe up your back end and being flushed, that is dangerous. I've seen how that can actually cause injury and burst someone's colon. I've had to deal with that. I've had to operate on someone with a burst colon because they did a colonic.

36:11Jaclyn Hill:Have you ever had to operate on someone who shoved a gerbil up their ass?

36:15Dr. Karan Rajan:Not a gerbil, but they shoved a showerhead up their ass. We caught it on a CT scan because we couldn't even see the showerhead. The person, it was an elderly gentleman, came in with severe abdominal pain, and we couldn't really figure out what's going on. So we got a CT scan.

36:29Katelyn MacMullen:What does someone say when they come in? They're like, I don't know what happened.

36:32Jaclyn Hill:They say they tripped and fell. I've read about it. No, I've read about this. They say they tripped and fell, right?

36:37Dr. Karan Rajan:Yeah, 100%. No way.

36:38Jaclyn Hill:Yeah. That's classic.

36:39Dr. Karan Rajan:They're just embarrassed. They're embarrassed about their sexual proclivities And they're just like, yeah, I slipped or someone abused me or whatever

36:47Jaclyn Hill:So did he say I have a shower up my butt?

36:50Dr. Karan Rajan:No, he didn't say anything He just said that I've got severe abdominal pain And I don't know what's causing it We got the CT scan And there was like a huge metallic foreign object floating in the abdomen And there was gas around the colon where there was a hole And I had to go back to him And I was like, what have you put in there? And then he was like, oh, yeah, I did this.

37:13Katelyn MacMullen:Oh, yeah, I forgot about that detail. The detail where I shoved a shower head up my ass.

37:17Jaclyn Hill:There's a lot of people that put the gerbil because when the gerbil dies, it vibrates. Oh, what? No, this is not true.

37:24Katelyn MacMullen:This is an urban legend.

37:25Jaclyn Hill:Google it right now, Carson. I knew someone. It was a doctor. No, you didn't. Acupuncturist that says when the gerbil dies, they vibrate and it gives you a nice vibration. i get carson google it right now this is a south park episode anyways listen this is serious if you were serious journalists okay go back to your your it's a true story go back to your viral health

37:46Dr. Karan Rajan:trends okay so another thing would be the use of probiotics your general wellness right so if anyone is considering using a probiotic make sure your probiotic has the genus the species and the strain. So there's three parts to the thing. So like the first two names and then like the third one would be a combination of letters and numbers. So that would be something. And make sure you can look up that word, look it up on like online and see if there's any research for that specific strain and for what condition.

38:18Katelyn MacMullen:So you're saying some people get a probiotic and it doesn't have the right strains or the right species.

38:23Dr. Karan Rajan:So both of you are healthy individuals. If you took a probiotic for general wellness or to optimize your gut, it's not really going to do everything, anything for the average person. If you've got a specific condition, like you've got IBS and you've got bloating with IBS or you've got traveler's diarrhea, there's a specific type of bacteria or probiotic which can help for that. So we're not at the stage yet with the science where you can just take a general wellness probiotic. That's the future.

38:49Jaclyn Hill:What brand do you like?

38:50Dr. Karan Rajan:Of probiotics? Yes. I don't take probiotics. And the reason is I want to think of your gut like a garden, right probiotics is like just keep buying more flowers and planting in your garden but you're not watering your garden and you're not nourishing the soil fiber and prebiotic fiber is like nourishing the soil and fertilizing it so the existing flowers that you already have like you're in your natural bacteria can flourish and thrive that makes so much sense that is the best

39:18Jaclyn Hill:description that anyone has ever done on this show about fiber that makes so much sense i'm sure

39:24Katelyn MacMullen:you, with the platform you've built, get a ton of outreach from other people in the health and wellness community. What filters do you have in place with who you decide to collaborate with? And what are some things that you kind of look at as red flags and stay away from to keep credibility?

39:38Dr. Karan Rajan:I think the, you know, one thing I was taught by my mentors, both in medical school and when I was a doctor, if you truly know a subject with serious expertise, you can dumb it down so anyone can understand. So I don't try to use big words or fancy language because I want everyone to understand it, whether, you know, and you'd be surprised the average reading age in both the US and the UK is around like, you know, a nine, 10 year old level. So you really have to be simple for everyone to understand. And I look at people who can simplify that complex language number one? And are they saying things which correlates with other people, other kind of like experts, but also the data and literature?

40:24Dr. Karan Rajan:And it's not exaggerated or like hot takes where it's like black or white. Because science and health, there's always nuance.

40:32Jaclyn Hill:There's a couple of things. When I read a book and the words are so big, I put it down. There's almost like a self-righteous undertone when you feel like you have to use like these huge words. Also, sometimes I notice this in certain fields. People almost want to take a simple subject and overcomplicate it so they sound more smart. Do you know what I mean?

40:52Katelyn MacMullen:You know, like in an investment.

40:53Jaclyn Hill:It's like if you can't explain it in a layman's term way.

40:56Katelyn MacMullen:In an investment scenario, someone comes to you to pitch their idea and it takes 30 minutes for you to understand what they're working on. No. Like you should be able to explain what you're doing in literally 30 seconds. Correct. Correct. And if you don't, it's probably too complicated or not a good idea.

41:08Jaclyn Hill:I always say, I'm like, be able to explain it to your Uber driver in one minute.

41:14Jaclyn Hill:I really like to give my dogs the best, highest quality ingredients. And you guys can do this too. If you want real fresh food, you have to check out Ollie. When I gave this to my dogs, they were freaking out, chasing their tail, licking their lips. They were drooling. Their jowls were shaking. I'm not even joking you. And that shouldn't surprise you because Ollie has human grade recipes backed by vet nutritionists, and everything is crafted with culinary experts. The dogs love the taste. I've seen it firsthand, even the pickiest eaters. My dog Boone is kind of picky, and he was obsessed with this.

41:52Jaclyn Hill:Slim, my other dog, is not so picky, and she gobbled it up. It comes with a scoop for easy serving and a storage situation for zero fridge stink, which is amazing. They have a one-of-a-kind technology. So the app offers an on-demand health screening where you can tap real experts for pups' peace of mind. They really thought of everything when it comes to your dog's wellness. I've noticed brighter eyes, like less like brown, sort of like underneath their eyes, less weepy eyes, I guess. I've also noticed that they're more excited during mealtime and their energy is up. Their coats are shiny, their nails are long, you have to check out Ollie.

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42:59Katelyn MacMullen:Quick break to talk about one of our favorite longtime partners, and that is Just Thrive. They have a new gut essentials combo that is absolutely going to change the game for you. If you're somebody who's accepted bloat, cravings, and that post-meal crash after eating as your new normal, I'm challenging you to feel better, and I'm giving you the cheat code, the Just Thrive Gut Essentials Bundle. It pairs two clinically proven gut superstars, the Just Thrive probiotic, which we've talked about for years now, and their new digestive bitter. Just Thrive Probiotic is the only probiotic clinically proven to arrive 100 % alive in your gut for a difference you'll actually feel.

43:30Katelyn MacMullen:We're talking less bloat, better energy, and even clear skin. Then there's their digestive bitters. It packs 12 science-back herbs and one tasteless capsule that jumpstarts your digestion and supports GLP-1 production so cravings don't control you. Together, they'll transform the health of your gut so you can feel like your best self fast. There's even a 100 % money-back guarantee so you've got nothing to lose. We've had the founders of Just Thrive on this podcast multiple times because every time we talk to them, they're up to something new and interesting. And what we love is people who stand behind their products.

43:59Katelyn MacMullen:We know we can trust them. We know it's quality. And Lauren and I have been fans of their products for years. So check them out. For over a decade, Just Thrive has been helping thousands of people take control of their health with science-backed solutions you can trust. From their award-winning probiotic to their full line of gut, immune, and brain health supplements, Just Thrive is ready to help you live your healthiest life. So take the Just Thrive Feel Better Challenge today and save 20 % on your first gut essentials bundle. Visit justthrivehealth.com slash skinny and save 20 % with promo code skinny.

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44:32Jaclyn Hill:This is wild, but did you guys know that over 90 % of percent of new parents on Bobby are combo feeding? So they're using both breast milk and formula to feed their baby. Whether you're exclusively formula feeding, combo feeding, or you just want a backup can in the pantry, Bobbi is the formula to deliver safe and complete nutrition to your baby's bottle. Bobbi's Organic, its European-style formulas are clinically crafted to mirror breast milk. They have naturally occurring MFGM, DHA, and choline to support brain development. They also have a 60 to 40 whey to casein protein blend for easy, healthy digestion.

45:15Jaclyn Hill:Every single batch goes through 2 ,000 plus safety and quality checks before leaving their U.S. manufacturing facility. They really thought of everything so you don't have to worry. And I looked into Bobby because I actually invited the founder on the podcast, and they were named a top choice by Consumer Reports after extensive testing, this is my favorite thing, for heavy metals and chemicals. So if you're looking for a USDA organic that's also EU organic, pesticide-free formula, you have to check them out. Bobby, whether you're breastfeeding, combo feeding, or exclusively using formula, check them out.

45:50Jaclyn Hill:I personally love knowing that Bobby sweats every detail, every step, every test, every ounce, so the parents don't have to. If you want to feed with confidence, head to highbobby.com. That's highbobby.com to find the formula trusted by parents and loved by their babies. 700k and counting. That's highbobbie.com. Introducing the Skinny Confidential Ice Roller. Reimagined. Think sleeker lines, a softer pink, a custom buttery dust bag, and a silver roller, not pink anymore, that is ice cold. I wanted to do a zhuzh on the iconic ice roller. I wanted to update it. This ice roller for me has always been more than just a tool.

46:38Jaclyn Hill:It's about helping us de-puff and sculpt and calm the skin in a way that feels intentional. And I wanted the ice roller to feel evolved. It's changed. You've changed. So yes, the new gorgeous, stunning, beautiful ice roller is still going to do the same things. It reduces puffiness and redness in your face. I used it this morning before I put on my makeup. It definitely helps with the under eye bags. Of course, it helps boost circulation and radiance. I just feel like it really helps stimulate blood flow and gives me that tighter, more radiant skin. And then it also is known to give you a smoother, tighter looking skin.

47:14Jaclyn Hill:So what I like to do is I like to combine facial massage with cold therapy, and this really helps give you a really nice foundation before you even apply your skincare. This ice roller for me is a full circle moment. I think that a lot of you bought the ice roller, you know, five, six years ago when we launched it. And now I am launching something that feels more in alignment with where you're at. It's so beautiful, you guys. Like it's just softer and more effortless in every way. And I really put my own touches on every single little step from the packaging to the colors to how it feels. to even the roller.

47:57Jaclyn Hill:It's all been elevated just for you. So the ritual, the Lauren ritual, is you do cold therapy to help fight inflammation. You roll it, you glide it across your face. I put it on my jawline, my neck, I roll it down. Your skin is just going to appear smoother and tighter before you go in for the kill with the skincare and the makeup. Don't skip the cold therapy. The new ice roller is an upgrade designed to meet the standards of today. And I hope you guys love it as much as I do. This is the beauty tool that started it all, redesigned to evolve with you. I'm showing it on YouTube too, if you're on YouTube, if you're seeing me visually.

48:33Jaclyn Hill:Get it while it's hot at shopskinnyconfidential.com. That's shopskinnyconfidential.com. Out of all the content that you have done with 11 million followers across has been the most viral and why?

48:48Dr. Karan Rajan:The one of the most viral things I've done is I reacted to a video about how you can get your kids to eat more vegetables. Well, these were neck and neck, how to get your kids to eat more like fiber, basically. And number two, I reacted to another video where a mom was giving her newborn kid like bone marrow. and both of those were like 20 million views each or something like that and as someone who's like about to have a kid i'm super interested in a child's microbiome because we know the microbiome can set someone up for life it's not just about pooping it's about autoimmune disease cancer risk allergies we know that if a kid has a robust microbiome from a young age they can have a reduced risk of autoimmune disease, allergies, a stronger immune system.

49:44Dr. Karan Rajan:And if you expose them to a variety of foods from a young age, you can actually eliminate some allergies. There was a huge study called the LEAP trial done on peanut allergies. And it suggested that if you introduce after the weaning process, one year on onwards, any like peanut puffs, peanut butter, you can reduce a child's peanut allergy risk by up to 70 % when they're an adult.

50:08Jaclyn Hill:I have a confession, perfect podcast to do this on with all three of my children not my baby yet because he's a little too young but at one years old i eat some peanut butter and then i eat almond butter and i give him a kiss oh and i did the same thing with honey can you just like put a little bit on you gotta like put in your mouth i know i eat a scoop of honey put a little bit on my lips and give him a kiss wow and this is my this lauren bostic science it had no allergies but the long story

50:36Katelyn MacMullen:short for all of our chances we've exposed them to dairy we've exposed them to honey we expose them to peanut butter and we do it early and again like we are not doctors we're not giving medical but in our situation we've done that and i think that at least in their case they've avoided those types

50:50Dr. Karan Rajan:of allergies diversity as a kid encourages diversity in the microbiome which is huge and i want to ask do you have pets at home yes in the bed yeah so we know from again the same data yeah Kids who live in non-urban environments and who either live on farms and who are exposed to animals from a young age and who have siblings, all those four things, and have dietary diversity, are more likely to have a reduced risk of allergies, autoimmune disease, and just better gut health and health in general longer term.

51:24Jaclyn Hill:Why did the two things that you put up go viral? Like, what was your answers to each of them?

51:28Dr. Karan Rajan:The answers were one in terms of the bone marrow one It's like obviously I'm not encouraging bone marrow specifically But just the fact that you're introducing a child from a young age to different textures So they're not going to be picky with their food longer term Which means they're more likely to have a range of foods growing up And number two you're encouraging their microbiome to already experience different things from a young age So different foods equals different microbes that are encouraged

51:55Jaclyn Hill:So my baby, my baby Bond, he's eight months old. His first food was bone marrow and liver. So you like that. You like that.

52:03Dr. Karan Rajan:I can't speak to bone marrow and liver specifically. Okay. But like. You like the diversity of introducing foods. I like the diversity, yeah. Like I've never had liver or bone marrow just because no one's ever given it to me. But.

52:13Katelyn MacMullen:Listen, there's a place here in this very building called the Kimberly. Oh. They make the best bone marrow. And it's like if you're not a big bone marrow guy and you're not used to it, it's like you can have it and get just like a great introduction to it without. Also, I don't know if I want to blow up that spot because I do like going there, but it is. I'll give him the shout out. Okay. Yeah.

52:30Dr. Karan Rajan:I'll check that out.

52:30Jaclyn Hill:What was the other viral clip?

52:32Dr. Karan Rajan:The other one was like about the, you know, like how do you get kids to eat more fruits and vegetables and fiber? And it was basically like how you gamify it. Right. When I was a kid, I remember I ate loads of like fruits and vegetables because my mom would chop it up into like little strips. And I just have like dip it in hummus. and it's snackable. You make it snackable. You put it in like fun shapes and sizes and you just leave it on the table. No pressure, no judgment, no guilt. You just leave it there. If you leave fruits and vegetables in like snackable form, just out and about the exposure to it and the fact there's no judgment or pressure or moral value attached to it, psychologically allows them just to kind of like grab and go and snack.

53:16Jaclyn Hill:So my doctor is amazing. She's very like Eastern and Western. She's really great. and she told me exactly what you just said. And what she did is she went to, I think, Home Depot and she got a salad bar, like a cold salad bar. Like the countertop fridges

53:32Katelyn MacMullen:where you could put like different salads or different vegetables.

53:35Jaclyn Hill:She cut up all the stuff, the vegetables, the fruit, and she puts it in there and she leaves it out in there for like a couple days. And the kids just go by like a salad bar.

53:43Katelyn MacMullen:Because it stays refrigerated on the counter. They can just reach in and grab what they want. Like what you're saying. Like a hotel.

53:48Jaclyn Hill:Like a hotel. At this house that we're at now, there wasn't like the right place for it. So I was like, how can I do this? So I went on Amazon and got like the containers and we just cut it up. And my kids, vegetables and fruit and cheese and all these things has gone way up because they feel in control of making themselves a snack plate.

54:08Katelyn MacMullen:Yeah. And what we've done is we've limited some of the more like junk food in the pantry. We just got out and they just, now they open the fridge and they grab that kind of stuff and you give them some kind of dressing.

54:15Dr. Karan Rajan:Again, this is anecdotal, but I know it works. My, you know, nephew he's very picky with food he's autistic and i did this thing where i was just doing a ton of research on like psychology and food behavior and eating like that and i just made like a little paper sachet i just drew like a kind of like a superhero character and i just stuffed it full of like carrots almost cut up like fries and gave it to him and he hates carrots he hates anything that has a bright color but also has like a certain mouthfeel to it he crushed the carrots because it was like in this kind of superhero type thing and kids respond to cues like that like how you package something is so influential in how they approach food i love the

54:57Jaclyn Hill:idea of just laying it out before the meal and not putting any pressure on it yeah and my thing is if they don't want it like i'll eat the the cucumber and hummus so for people that are you know consuming

55:08Katelyn MacMullen:shows like this consuming content like yours on social media short form long form looking for medical advice, looking for how to live that, like, what are some of the things that you would push them towards and some of the things you would caution them against?

55:20Dr. Karan Rajan:In terms of like,

55:21Katelyn MacMullen:just what they should, you know, what types of things they should follow and believe in and what kind of things they should be cautious about?

55:26Dr. Karan Rajan:Yeah, I mean, like, trends are so prevalent these days where it says, like, you must eliminate this, you must do this. It's about balance, right? Like, you know, the Pareto principle suggests that you get the most value from 80 % of like the boring basics and 20 % maybe things like supplements or, you know, things like saunas, which are all good, but they're the 20%. We have known all the things that work for decades. Don't smoke, don't drink, keep a healthy weight, movement, sunlight, get enough vitamin D, get enough fiber, plant food, go to screenings when you're called for cervical cancer, colorectal cancer, go to those screenings, you know childhood vaccinations social connections all of those things we know and then also there's like things we can't change like genetics and you know your kind of socioeconomic status like you you know your zip code basically but all those other things they are going to be the biggest levers in your life once you've got those sorted then you look into supplements and then your

56:26Jaclyn Hill:nutrition all those sort of things as well what's fibromaxing fibromaxing is just trying to like it

56:34Dr. Karan Rajan:says max out how much fiber you can eat. I am a big fan of this one trend. I think it's one of the TikTok trends that's not going to send you to the hospital. Okay. Right. And the only caveat and caution is if you're not used to eating a lot of fiber, slowly ramp it up.

56:48Jaclyn Hill:Okay.

56:49Dr. Karan Rajan:Five grams extra a day for a week, next week, another five, week after another five, and just slowly ramp it up because your gut bacteria, if you're not used to fiber, are just not used to processing that amount of fiber so they need to develop the enzymes to be more efficient in dealing with

57:06Jaclyn Hill:that fiber so just give it to them slowly before you go what are some tips in your book this book

57:13Dr. Karan Rajan:may save your life this book may save your life as you know i talk about the human body top to tail i i liken it to like a glitchy machine okay and it's you know just breaking down trying to destroy us and it's like the simple buckets sleep and wake times keep that consistent because that can literally regulate your entire life from your mental health to how well you poop?

57:36Jaclyn Hill:I like a 7.30 bedtime.

57:38Dr. Karan Rajan:7.30 p.m.

57:39Jaclyn Hill:Wow. I will literally get in bed. Listen, you're on your way, buddy.

57:41Katelyn MacMullen:Wait till

57:42Jaclyn Hill:these kids start coming. Yeah, just DM me when you have a kid.

57:46Dr. Karan Rajan:So yeah, I mean, sleep is key, but appreciate it. Like I'm probably not going to sleep the next year. And it's, you know, like, I think the gut microbiome is just so underappreciated still, because we know it has a linked to every organ system in your body, from your liver to your kidneys, to your brain, to your immune system, to your skin. If you've ever had or know anyone with acne, psoriasis, eczema, when their gut is off, their skin is worse. It's because of the gut-skin connection.

58:13Jaclyn Hill:So you can tell someone's gut by their skin?

58:17Dr. Karan Rajan:I think of the skin as a billboard to what's going on in the gut.

58:21Jaclyn Hill:Interesting. I love that.

58:23Dr. Karan Rajan:How's my skin? How's your skin? Amazing.

58:25Jaclyn Hill:Oh, okay. So that's good.

58:27Dr. Karan Rajan:That's good. It's like, you know, if your gut is inflamed, those inflammatory molecules will go through the bloodstream and hop off in different places. It might hop off in the brain and cause you to have low mood, anxiety. It might hop off in the skin cells and show as inflammation in the skin. It might stop off in other places as well and cause problems in, you know, other areas.

58:50Katelyn MacMullen:And with the new book, this is vital information. Is this the follow-up? And what's different in this one?

58:55Dr. Karan Rajan:This is more like things we're too embarrassed to ask our doctors. Everything from period problems to menopause issues to gut problems to cancer, talking about death and advocating for patients and giving them things to tell their doctor. So how would you use this book? You could literally pick up, like for example, you're on the penis page, right? And that's all about men's health. When a guy, okay, say you go down to Terry Black's to have some barbecue with your friends. with your guy friends. Guy friends, you're not going to talk about your prostate. You're not going to be talking about your balls or your dick.

59:28Dr. Karan Rajan:You like someone might have those problems, but they won't bring it up at all. They won't even talk to their doctor about it because they're embarrassed. Same with women. Like sometimes women may not talk about their lumps or other issues going on. We don't talk about oral health. We don't talk about menopause and the problem. So each chapter is different and you can pick it up and turn to a question.

59:47Katelyn MacMullen:There must be a sign because I turned to the male health page and I was like, let me flip ahead and then I turned to the body mayhem. Yours is bigger than that. The body piercing on the penis page. So this book must be telling me something. I will dive in and I will head to Terry Blacks and report back to you.

1:00:00Jaclyn Hill:Where can everyone follow you? I think what you're doing is absolutely amazing.

1:00:05Dr. Karan Rajan:Dr. Karan Rajan, unfortunately everywhere.

1:00:08Jaclyn Hill:And you guys gave us a code. For loam.

1:00:10Dr. Karan Rajan:Yes.

1:00:11Jaclyn Hill:Skinny20 for 20 % off loamscience.com. I just mixed this in my mango aminos, which I have every day. Everyone knows that. and it doesn't literally taste like anything and it's not clumpy. And I didn't, I can't get over that. I didn't have to use a frother. That's unique. That's like, to me, that's the main selling point because I'm quick. I got to go.

1:00:31Katelyn MacMullen:Because that's the problem with some of these other things is like you don't want that. You just want it to go in real quick. So you could take this anytime in the day. Anytime of day. What do you take yours?

1:00:40Dr. Karan Rajan:I take it with the coffee in the morning. And the thing is with fiber, if you're consistent with it and have it every single day, you stack up the benefits. and unfortunately, you know, not a lot of fibers have the high dose of 10 grams. They don't have the diversity. So when you drink this, you're getting six different fibers, not just one.

1:00:58Jaclyn Hill:Well, I just did two packs. Two packs.

1:01:00Dr. Karan Rajan:So that's amazing. You've got so much diversity there. And the fact that most people can't stick to something because it either has, you know, like a really strong taste or it's chunky and gritty. For me, when I was messing with fibers back in the day, that's my problem. Like I couldn't find something that was just tasteless and invisible.

1:01:17Jaclyn Hill:What I'm going to do with this is I'm going to habit stack it. So I already do my aminos. But then also another way I would take this is with my magnesium water at night. It literally tastes like nothing.

1:01:27Katelyn MacMullen:I like that you can take it with the coffee because each day I have one coffee per day. And you're saying no matter how hot the coffee is, this is stable.

1:01:34Dr. Karan Rajan:It's heat stable. And in fact, my favorite thing to bake is banana bread. I put in two packs of loam into the batter when I make it. So I've got high fiber banana bread. Yeah.

1:01:46Jaclyn Hill:I'm going to do it. Thank you so much for coming on.

1:01:48Dr. Karan Rajan:Thank you guys for having me. This is great.

1:01:49Katelyn MacMullen:Thank you for making the trip.